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Keeping the spirit of the Grateful Dead alive, Terrapin Flyer comes to three20south tonight. Not only will the concert cover - and improvise from - Grateful Dead tunes, it will feature two alumni from the actual band.

"Tom Constanten performed with the Grateful Dead during their most creative period from 1968-1970," said guitarist/vocalist Doug Hagman, who founded Terrapin Flyer. "Bob Bralove performed during their famed Drums and Space segments during the years 1987-1995."

Both Bralove and Constanten played keyboard for the Dead.

Terrapin Flyer began in 1999 as the house band for the Sunday Grateful Dead Jam at the Boulevard Cafe in Chicago. It has since grown into one of the premier Grateful Dead-inspired touring acts in the nation.

Hagman promises a show that "takes Grateful Dead music to daring new heights" while staying true to the band's goal of "keeping the spirit of the Grateful Dead/Jerry Garcia alive."

One of Hagman's funniest show experiences occurred while playing with Vince Welnick from The Tubes and the Grateful Dead. "My foot hit the corner of the monitor in front of me; I lost balance and nearly fell on him," Hagman said. "It was a slow fall, so he had time to get out of the way, but I ended up on my back on the floor. The funniest thing about it was that I was singing the Grateful Dead song, 'Fire on the Mountain' and had just finished singing the line, 'caught in slow motion in a fall to the floor.' Appropriate timing is everything."

Tonight's show will also feature members of Cornmeal (Wavy Dave Burlingame and J.P. Nowak) and "an all-star group" of performers. The show opens with the piano duo, Dose Hermanos, featuring Constanten and Bralove (and possible surprise guests), followed by two sets from Terrapin Flyer, the first showcasing Constanten and the second showcasing Bralove.